


My Hand in Yours

by Sproid



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Holding Hands, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2012-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-18 09:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/559640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sproid/pseuds/Sproid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Nyssa and Tegan hold hands, and one time they let go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Hand in Yours

**Author's Note:**

> References to Black Orchid and Terminus (which I mention for the benefit of anyone like me who has only recently discovered the joy of Classic Who and wants to avoid spoilers).

When they emerge from the TARDIS, the dusty street of half an hour ago has been transformed into a wave of colour, a thousand brightly costumed people dancing to the alien music surrounding them.

"Ah," the Doctor says, coming to an abrupt halt. "Perhaps we should wait inside until the festival is over. I had no idea it would be quite this... chaotic."

Tegan sees Nyssa's face fall with disappointment as she tears her gaze away from the lanterns and floats which she had been looking at with an unusually unrestrained excitement.

"Perfectly safe, of course," the Doctor continues. "But I shouldn't like to lose the two of you in all these people.

Tegan nudges Nyssa, who tilts her head and then raises an eyebrow as Tegan nods towards the crowd. Nyssa's smile slowly reappears and she nods in agreement.

"What are you two up to?" the Doctor asks, catching on to their unspoken conversation a little too late.

"Come on, Nyssa," Tegan grins, reaching across the Doctor to grab Nyssa's hand. "We'll have fun while this stick-in-the-mud tinkers with his TARDIS."

Laughing, Nyssa follows Tegan into the crowd, and they lose themselves together in the uncomplicated joy of celebration.

\-- -- -- -- --

After George takes her captive and almost sends them both over the edge of the roof, Nyssa's legs won't stop shaking and her heart pounding even after the Doctor has got them both on ground level again.

Tegan runs towards them the minute she sees them, reaching out for Nyssa who gladly stumbles into her embrace and clings to her as tightly as her trembling fingers will allow. Into Tegan's shoulder, she mumbles, "I think even the Doctor is too tall for me at the moment."

"I can take my heels off if that would help," Tegan offers, and they huff out not entirely steady laughs together.

Nyssa leans on Tegan until her legs support her again, and then for a few moments longer to take advantage of the much needed comfort.

"I was so worried about you," Tegan admits as Nyssa reluctantly pulls away.

Closing her eyes briefly, Nyssa sees the dizzying drop again. "So was I."

When Tegan laces their fingers firmly together, Nyssa can feel the tremors running through them. As Tegan is her anchor, so she is Tegan's in this instance, she realises, and stays close to Tegan's side as they walk away from the house.

\-- -- -- -- --

Seated at the end of the long table at which Nyssa is working, Tegan watches Nyssa while she works; even half-distracted by organic compounds in test-tubes, she's better company than Tegan's lone battered book. Tegan can't help smiling every time Nyssa exclaims triumphantly over something that Tegan herself would find extremely dull. There's not much in the way of conversation, but she's more than happy to just be around Nyssa for a while.

That, Tegan realises slowly, is the type of thinking that's going to get her into trouble of the unrequited feelings variety. 

Or perhaps, already has. Oh, damnation.

Of course, Nyssa chooses that moment to look up. "Are you alright?" she asks.

"Just lost in thought for a moment," Tegan replies quietly.

"Hmm. They didn't look like very happy thoughts," Nyssa says, moving away from her equipment. "Come on, you can help me with this next bit of the experiment; it's perfectly safe, and should be quite colourful." She holds her hands out; Tegan, unable to resist either the smile or the offer, takes them and allows herself to be pulled to the workspace. Safely immersed in Nyssa's world, she is happy, at least for a few hours.

\-- -- -- -- --

The Christmas market is everything that the Doctor promised it would be, fresh snow on the ground and bright stars in the sky as they wander around the old-fashioned wonderland that lives in modern Canada. Arm in arm with Tegan as they wander along with the meandering Christmas patrons, Nyssa couldn't be happier.

When Tegan's steps slow, Nyssa turns to see what's caught her eye, and finds her staring wistfully at an archway covered in green leaves with white flowers. She's about to ask what's wrong, but remembers that she's seen that expression before, one afternoon a few weeks ago in her lab, that Tegan has been subdued since then and -

"Oh. Well, that works out nicely."

Smiling, Nyssa slips her arm out from Tegan's and holds out her gloved hand, which a confused Tegan nonetheless places her own in. She walks backwards towards the archway, tugging Tegan along with her, until they're where she wants them to be.

"I think there's something you're supposed to do when you're standing beneath mistletoe," Nyssa murmurs, glancing up above them, then back to Tegan, and then away when a sudden nervousness hits her.

"Oh," she hears Tegan echo. Then her free hand is taken in Tegan's, and it's Tegan's turn to pull gently until Nyssa takes a step closer. When she looks up it's to see Tegan's smile, just for a moment before she leans in and presses her lips to Nyssa's, once, twice and then again when Nyssa murmurs, "Don't stop. Please." Tegan's thumbs stroke gently over Nyssa's knuckles through the gloves, and then she returns for a deeper kiss. Cold lips, warm mouth, crisp air sharp against flushed cheeks; Nyssa shivers, tightens her fingers around Tegan's and closes her eyes while she revels in the heat of Tegan's kiss.

\-- -- -- -- --

The impromptu tickle-fight ends with Tegan shrieking in laughter as she tumbles onto the bed, pulling Nyssa with her, who then straddles her hips and grabs her hands to prevent retaliation. When she stretches out their joined arms above Tegan's head, Tegan's breath catches as she suddenly has Nyssa laid out over her, all loose-limbed and relaxed and mischievous. The press of Nyssa's mouth to hers takes neither of them by surprise, until it turns into something far more heated than they've yet engaged in.

When she draws away, Nyssa's expression is hesitant but wanting. "This isn't something I've done a lot."

Tegan's fingers curl around Nyssa's, and she brings their hands from above her head to rest on her stomach. "Ever played 'follow my lead'?" she asks with a smile, which Nyssa returns as she shakes her head. Guiding one set of hands to herself, and lifting the other to Nyssa's body, Tegan assures her, "You'll pick it up quickly enough."

Nyssa proves Tegan gloriously right, and in return is left breathless by everything that Tegan's hands and fingers can make her feel, not least the simple intimacy of falling asleep with their hands entwined between their naked bodies.

\-- -- -- -- --

"I'm not coming with you."

Tegan's heart feels like it breaks. The only reason she doesn't mention it is because Nyssa looks as if she knows exactly how Tegan feels.

"You'll die out here," Tegan croaks out, tears forming in her eyes.

"Not easily, Tegan," Nyssa replies, her own eyes shining, and they cling to each other in an embrace that is far too short to be their last. Gripping Nyssa's hand as tightly as possible, Tegan presses a kiss to their entwined fingers, transferring her last measure of strength before their hands slide out of each other's hold forever.


End file.
